Networks Unlimited, a value-adding distributor of converged technology, data centre, networking, and security technology throughout Africa, hosted the official Johannesburg launch of Mellanox Technologies, a leading supplier of Ethernet and InfiniBand intelligent interconnect solutions and services for servers, storage and hyperconverged infrastructure.

At the event, Mellanox’s Open Ethernet switch systems capabilities - with speeds of 10/25/40/50/56/100Gb/s, enabling data centres, cloud computing, storage, Web2.0 and high performance computing applications to operate at maximum functionality at any scale - were presented.

The Mellanox Open Ethernet switches range from SwitchX to Spectrum and provide the most efficient switching solutions to meet the performance demands of data centre applications. In addition to its switch portfolio, Mellanox offers complete industry-leading end-to-end solutions such as, acceleration and management software, fast network interface cards, interconnect modules and cables for the modern data centre.

1RU-sized switches The Open Ethernet products include various 1RU-sized switches, ranging from 12 ports up to 64 ports with speeds of 1Gb/s to 100Gb/s, allowing the construction of purpose-built data centres to take place at any scale. This enables network and data centre mangers to design and implement cost-effective switch fabrics that can be composed of a few servers and gradually grow into large scales of servers.

Incorporated SDN attributes The data centre administrator is rewarded with Mellanox Ethernet Solution tools that provide a clean, simple and flexible view, and orchestration capabilities for the infrastructure. The result is an easily accessible framework that provides the data centre applications with utmost elasticity.

Lowest power consumption Another valuable and common feature of Mellanox switch devices and systems is its unique ASIC design of the switch devices. These smartly manage the consumption of power to a point where running at higher speed at a maximum performance does not translate into a linear increase in power.

Mellanox’s Open Ethernet portfolio includes systems running with PPC CPUs as well as x86 CPUs. These allow for the installation of a virtual machine on the switch to be supplied with a variety of software packages – whether it is a complete solution running the MLNX-OS operating system and a protocol stack, or it is the SAI interface of the switch silicon device.

“With our unique design principles and uncompromised quality, Mellanox’s third generation of Ethernet data centre switch integrated circuits draws a new benchmark line for industry performance,” says Syd Virdi, EMEA distribution director at Mellanox. “These switch products have the market’s lowest latency with the most efficient cut-through technology that has been optimised for big data and high performance computing applications.”

“We are pleased that we able to provide our clients with such excellent products that are cost effective and of great quality. We have no doubt that Mellanox products will do well in our market as we have seen the response by the audience present at the event,” concludes Anton Jacobsz, managing director at Networks Unlimited.